Rotary engine with cushioning device for the partition

ABSTRACT

A rotary engine is provided with a device for cushioning the blows of a radially movable chamber partition against the rotor of the engine. The device includes a piston that enters a fluid filled compartment as the partition moves radially inwardly, the compartment having a restricted exit for the fluid.

United States Patent [191 Luukkonen May 14, 1974 [54] ROTARY ENGINE WITH CUSHIONING 1,005,957 10/1911 Girod 418/248 DEVICE FOR THE PARTITION 3,080,722 3/1963 Molnar 418/248 Paavo O. Luukkonen, 66 Abitibi Ave., Willowdale, Ontario, Canada Filed: Apr. 2, 1973 Appl. No.: 347,055

Inventor:

US. Cl. 418/248 Int. Cl. F014: l/00, F030 3/00, F04c l/OO Field of Search 418/223, 243, 248, 249

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1898 Howe 4l8/248 Primary Examiner-Carlton R. Croyle Assistant ExaminerJohn J. Vrablik Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ridout & Maybee [5 7] ABSTRACT 5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thisinvention relates to improvements in rotary engines.

2. Description of the Prior Art Rotary engines are known having a rotor with a projection which sweeps like a piston around an annular chamber, a radial partition riding over the projection as it sweeps around the chamber, the partition being urged towards the rotor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to several improvements in a rotary engine having a rotor with such a piston projection and chamber partition. Advantages possible with the improved rotary engine are:

I. It can be highly efficient.

2. It can have desirable pollution characteristics because of good combustion.

3. There can be little wear of parts.

4. It can be economical to build.

One improvement relates to a cushioning device which cushions the shock of the chamber partition as it strikes the rotor, thereby prolonging the life of the rotor and of the chamber partition. The cushioning device consists of a piston mounted on the chamber partition. The piston enters a fluid filled compartment as the chamber partition approaches the rotor. The fluid compartment has an opening through which the piston can force the fluid into a fluid reservoir. When the chamber partition is forced away from the rotor by the piston projection, the fluid can then flow from the fluid reservoir back into the compartment.

Other improvements will become apparent through consideration of the following detailed description ofa preferred rotary engine construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a four chambered rotary engine;

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away perspective view of the rotor, parts of the four engine chambers, and a radial chamber partition and accessories thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side view, partly in section, ofa chamber side wall, showing the manner of mounting a sealing ring;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view showing parts of housings for devices for cushioning the blows of the chamber partitions;

FIG. 5 is a partly sectional end view of the engine, showing a chamber partition about to be forced away from the rotor by a piston projection;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a piston face plate and side seals thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the rotor advanced to cause the chamber partition to be pushed to its extreme radial position away from the rotor;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of parts of a fuel control valve and a guide plate therefor;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 7 but showing the rotor further advanced so that the chamber partition has been restored to its chamber-dividing position against the rotor; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side view showing a cover over a cam shaft of the rotary engine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the engine illustrated has four annular chambers I, II, III and IV defined between a generally cylindrical stator l and rotor 2. The rotor 2 has a shaft 3, a cylindrical rotor body 4 connected to the shaft by radial arms 5, and cricular radial walls 6 spaced apart along the rotor body and defining the radial walls of the annular chambers of the engine. In the periphery of each wall 6 is an annular groove 7 (FIGS. 2 and 3) in which a sealing ring 8 is inserted, the ring 8 being split for ease of installation and to allow for small tolerances in the engine. The ring 8 is prevented from slipping relative to the wall 6 by a pin 9 (FIG. 3 fixed to the ring and projecting into a radial hole 10 in the wall. The sealing rings 8 of the rotor bear and slide against an internal cylindrical surface 11 of the stator (FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 5, within each chamber a piston projection 12 is secured to the rotor body 4 by bolts 13. A piston face plate 14 is bolted to a radial face of the piston projection 12 by bolts 15 (FIG. 5) the bolts fitting into holes 16 (FIG. 6) that are slightly elongated radially so that the face plate can press radially against the stator surface 11 under the influence of centrifugal force. Fitting in grooves 17 on each side of the face plate 14 are leaf springs 18, one of which can be seen in FIG. 6, and these springs react against seal strips 19 that seat in the grooves 17, the springs pressing the seal strips against the chamber side walls 6. (For simplicity ofillustration all details are not shown in all Figures; for example, the details shown in FIG. 6 are omitted from FIG. 2).

Piston projections 12!), 12c, 12d, shown in broken lines in FIG. 5 are the piston projections within chambers II, III and IV respectively. The piston projection 12b of chamber II is offset l from the piston projection 12 of chamber I, the piston projection 12c of chamber III is offset 180 from the piston projection 12d of chamber IV and the piston projection 12c of chamber III is offset from the piston projection 12 of the chamber I. The firing order of the engine is I, III, II, IV.

Each piston projection can sweep in a clockwise direction around the annular chamber defined by the rotor body 4, the side walls 6 and the stator surface 11. A counter weight 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is located within the rotor body 4 directly opposite each piston projection.

An end plate 24 (FIG. 1) is bolted to the stator 1 along with an identical end plate 26 at the other end of the rotary engine. The shaft 3 is journalled in the end plates. End plate 24 has vents 30 so that cooling air can enter the passage 32 between the shaft 3 and the rotor body 4. Mounted on end 34 of the shaft 3, just outside the end plate 24, is a sprocket wheel 36 and a. triple pulley 38. The sprocket wheel 36 and the pulley 38 rotate with the shaft 3 and are held on the shaft 3 by washer 40 and nut 42. The triple pulley 38 is connected to a conventional generator 44 by drive belts 46.

Leading from each engine chamber through the top of the stator 22 there is a T-shaped opening 48. Mounted in this opening, and in a housing 54 over the opening, is a chamber partition 50 (FIGS. and 2) which is radially slidable and can ride over the piston projection 12, which sweeps around the annular chamber. A roller 56 is journalled at the front of the partition 50 near its bottom, and the roller encounters a sloping side 58 of the piston projection as the rotor rotates. The roller 56 rides up the sloping side 58 of the piston projection 12, so that the piston projection lifts up the chamber partition 50 and passes under it (see FIGS. 5, 7 and 9), the roller entering the stem 59 of the T- shaped stator opening 48. From FIG. 2, it can be seen that the sloping portion 58 of the piston projection 12 is only as wide as the roller 56, so that, the piston projection is as light as possible. There are four holes 60 drilled vertically into the top of the chamber partition 50. The two inside holes simply serve to reduce the weight of the chamber partition 50 so that it can be more easily lifted by the piston projection 12. Two springs 62 are inserted in the two outside holes to act between the chamber partition 50 and the cap 52 ofthe housing 54 to urge the chamber partition 50 towards the rotor body 4. In a horizontal slot at the rear of the chamber partition is a leaf spring 64 and a sealing strip 66. There is a leaf spring seal 67 on each of the two side edges 69 of the chamber partition 50. These provide seals between the chamber partition 50 and the side walls 6 of the chamber I and at the same time enable the side walls 6 to slide easily relative to the side edges 69 of the chamber partition 50. The housing 54 contains a body of fluid 70 to at least a level higher than an open-topped compartment 72 of the housing. Preferably, the housing 54 is completely filled with fluid 70. At the front of the chamber partition 50 and near the top is a piston or lip 73 that travels in a slot 71 of the housing 54 and can fit snugly into a compartment 72 at the bottom of the housing. After the piston projection 12 has passed under the chamber partition 50, the springs 62 urge the latter towards the rotor body 4. As the chamber partition 50 closely approaches the rotor body 4, the piston 73 enters the fluid filled compartment 72. The compartment 72 has an outlet 74 through which the piston 73 can force the fluid into a fluid reservoir 76 defined by the lower part of the housing 54 radially outwardly of the annular chamber I. An adjustable screw 78 extending through the wall of the housing 54 can be used to control the size of the outlet 74 and therefore the downward velocity of the piston 73 and the chamber partition at the end of their downward stroke. Thus, the compartment 72, the outlet 74 and the piston 73 act as a cushioning device for the chamber partition 50 as it comes into contact with the rotor body 4. This cushioning device prolongs the life of both the chamber partition and the rotor body 4. The chamber partition 50 reciprocates in the fluid reservoir 76 as it rides over the piston projection 12. When the chamber partition 50 is forced upwardly by the piston projection 12, fluid flows from the fluid reservoir 76 into the compartment 72.

The construction of the housing 54 can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. The housing 54 for chamber I, and corresponding housings 54h, 54c and 54d for chambers II, III and IV, are formed by three identical middle pieces 80 and two end pieces 82 bolted together by six bolts 84. The end pieces 82 are mirror images of each other.

After the pieces and 82 are assembled, the holes 86 one for each of the adjustable screws 78, 78b, 78c, 78d are drilled and the adjustable screws are inserted. Then, the housing assembly 88 is bolted to the stator by bolts 90. A cap 52 is bolted to the top of the housing assembly 88 by bolts 92. The fluid in the interior 68 of the housing 54 is forced out of the interior 68 through the holes 94 in the cap 52 so that the fluid can cool before flowing back into the interior 68. One of the holes 94 is rectangular while the remaining two are circular so as to provide as much area as possible for the fluid to flow out of and into the interior 68 of the housing 54, while at the same time providing a solid support for the two springs 62. The two circular holes are necessary in order that the springs 62 can be supported. A pan 98, bolted to the top of the cap 52 by bolts 100, ensures that the fluid on the outer surface 102 of the cap 52 will return to the interiors 68, 68b, 68c, 68d of the housings 54, 54b, 54c, 54d respectively. Preferably, the level of the fluid 70 is such that the pan 98 is nearly filled with the fluid 70. A conventional distributor 96 is mounted near the back edge of the cap 52 and is connected to gears 97.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, located clockwise from the chamber partition 50 on the periphery of the stator l, is a fuel opening 104. Radially outward from the fuel opening 104 is a plate 111 and a housing 106, which are bolted to the stator 1. Fuel and air are premixed by any suitable means (not shown) and are introduced under pressure through a channel system 105 in a housing 106 at 107 and flows to a fuel control valve 108. A channel 110 in the plate 111 connects the fuel control valve 108 to the spark plug 112 so that the fuel can be exploded in the compartment 113 in the chamber I between the piston projection 12 and the chamber partition 50. A cam shaft 114 having cam 116 is located above the fuel control valve 108. The cam shaft 114 is rotatably mounted in two supports which are bolted to the housing 106 by bolts 117 (See FIG. 10). The bolts 117 are inserted in elongated holes 118 in the supports 115 so that the distance between the cam shaft 114 and the fuel control valves of the four chambers can be adjusted, thereby controlling the supply of fuel to the engine in each stroke of the control valve. To an end 114a of the cam shaft 114 is attached a sprocket wheel 120. The sprocket wheel 120 is connected to the sprocket wheel 36 by a link chain 122. The two sprocket wheels 36, 120 rotate at the same RPM as the piston projection 12. The cam 116 forces the fuel control valve 108 radially inward to the open position just after the piston projection 12 passes the opening 104 and the chamber partition 50 contacts the rotor body 4 (see FIG. 9). Thus, fuel is allowed into the compartment 113 in the annular chamber I between the piston projection 12 and the chamber partition 50. This fuel is ignited by the spark plug 112 and the piston projection 12 is forced around the annular chamber I. A cover 124, which is bolted to the housing 106, encloses the cam shaft 114 including the supports 115, but not including the sprocket wheel 36, and the fuel control valves of the four chambers (see FIG. I). The enclosed space is filled with a fluid 125, which lubricates the upper portion of the fuel control valves 108 and the cams 116 of the four chambers. A hole 127 in the cover 124 allows the cover 12 to be mounted between the support 115 and the sprocket wheel 36. A

seal 129 prevents leakage of the fluid 125 through the hole 127. j 1

The top 126 of the fuel control valve 108 is square (see FIG. 8) as is the earn 116 to provide a large contact area between the two parts and therefore pro long their life. The cams for each chamber are placed on the cam shaft 114 so that the cam of chamber II is offset 180 from the cam of chamber I the cam of chamber III is offset 180 from the cam of chamber II and the cam of chamber III is offset 90 from the cam of chamber I so that the chambers fire in the order I, III, II, IV. This relative placement of the cams corresponds to the relative placement of the piston projections, which was discussed above.

As stated above, the gas control valve 108 is opened when it is forced radially inward by the cam 116. A bushing 127, which surrounds the valve 108, acts as a guide for the valve and prevents the fuel from leaking out the top of the valve. A guide plate 128, containing a square hole 129 through which the upper portion of the valve 108 is inserted is bolted onto the housing 106 (see FIG. 8). The guide plate 128 holds the bushings, for all four valves, in place and acts as a guide for all four valves. A spring 130, acting between the guide plate 128 and a washer 132 near the top 126 of the valve l08urges the valve 108 radially outwards toward the closed positionsThe sealing ring 134 moves with the valve 108 and prevents leakage between the valve 108 and the bushing 127 when the valve is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 7. Compartment 136 is al ways filled with fuel. The tapered bottom portion 138 of the valve 108 prevents leakage of fuel to the chamber I when the valve is closed as shown in FIG. 5. The housing 106 is also tapered at 137 to correspond to the tapered portion 138 of the valve- 108. There is a counter bore 140 in the housing 106 to receive the bottom portion 138 of the valve 108 when it is fully opened.

Located clockwise from the gas control valve 108 on the periphery of the stator 1, are motor mounts 142, 144.

Located clockwise from the motor mount 144 on the periphery of the stator 1, is an elongated exhaust hole 146. The exhaust hole I46 is elongated so that pressure will not build up in the compartment 148 in the annular chamber I before the chamber partition 50 is forced upward by the piston projection 12. Bolted above the exhaust hole for the four chambers is a manifold 149. The exhaust hole 146 must be narrow so that oil which is applied to the piston face plate 14 is not thrown out of the exhaust hole by centrifugal force. The oil is applied to the outer surface 151 of the piston face plate 14 by two oil nozzles 150 located in holes 153 in the stator 1 between the exhaust hole 146 and the chamber partition 50. The nozzles are located so that the oil is applied directly to that portion of the piston face plate 14 that passes on either side of the exhaust hole 146. The oil will spread out over the whole outer surface of the piston face plate 14 in a very thin layer so as not to be thrown out of the exhaust hole 146 by centrifugal force. The nozzles 146 operate by means of an adjustable steel ball 152, which is urged by a spring 154 against the inner tip 156 of'the hole 153, so that the steel ball 152 partially protrudes into the chamber I. When the piston face plate 14 passes, it forces the steel ball 152 radially outward and oil flows onto the outer surface 149 of the piston face plate 14. Adjacent to the oil nozzles 150 and directly above the two side walls 6 of the chamber 1, are oil holes 158. By means of these oil holes 158, oil is continuously applied to the sealing rings 8 which are mounted around the circumference of the side walls 6, so that the sealing rings 8 slide easily with respect to the stator 1.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a rotary engine having a rotorwith a piston projection in an annular chamber, the piston projection being arranged to sweep around the annular chamber as the rotor rotates, a chamber partition that can ride over said projection, and a spring urging the partition towards the rotor, 21 cushioning device comprising a piston movable with the partition, a fluid filled compartment which the piston enters as the partition closely approaches the rotor, an outlet through which the piston can force the fluid from the compartment,

.and a fluid reservoir beyond the outlet and from which fluid can flow back into the compartment when the partition and piston are forced by said projection away from the rotor.

2. The rotary engine as claimed in claim I wherein the piston comprises a lip on the partition radially outward from the annular chamber.

3. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fluid reservoir is located radially outward from the annular chamber, the partition as it rides over said pro jection reciprocates in the fluid reservoir, the compartment being within the reservoir and the reservoir being filled with fluid to a level so that the compartment is immersed in the fluid.

4. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlet through which the piston can force the fluid from the compartment is located in a wall of the compartment.

5. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 4 wherein a screw is mounted to close the outlet partially and adjustably. 

1. In a rotary engine having a rotor with a piston projection in an annular chamber, the piston projection being arranged to sweep around the annular chamber as the rotor rotates, a chamber partition that can ride over said projection, and a spring urging the partition towards the rotor, a cushioning device comprising a piston movable with the partition, a fluid filled compartment which the piston enters as the partition closely approaches the rotor, an outlet through which the piston can force the fluid from the compartment, and a fluid reservoir beyond the outlet and from which fluid can flow back into the compartment when the partition and piston are forced by said projection away from the rotor.
 2. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the piston comprises a lip on the partition radially outward from the annular chamber.
 3. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fluid reservoir is located radially outward from the annular chamber, the partition as it rides over said projection reciprocates in the fluid reservoir, the compartment being within the reservoir and the reservoir being filled with fluid to a level so that the compartment is immersed in the fluid.
 4. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlet through which the piston can force the fluid from the compartment is located in a wall of the compartment.
 5. The rotary engine as claimed in claim 4 wherein a screw is mounted to close the outlet partially and adjustably. 